Obituaries

Friday, January 14, 2011

Elinor Jennings Mills, formerly of Westport and Fairfield, died Jan. 11 in the Lutheran Home of Southbury, two days before her 97th birthday.Elinor J. Mills: 70-year Westport resident. Contributed photo

Born at Grandview Farm on Hoydens Hill in Fairfield, she lived there until 1929 when her family moved to Knapps Highway.

She married Clifton Hoyt Mills in 1940 and moved to Cross Highway in Westport, where she lived for more than 70 years. She attended Fairfield schools, Timothy Dwight School and Roger Ludlowe High School, graduating in 1933. She worked at General Electric in Bridgeport until 1943.

She also worked alongside her husband on one of the last poultry farms in Westport. She enjoyed crewel, crochet and sewing, as well as gardening.

He was the beloved husband to Josephine (Fabietti) Laska and devoted father of David Laska and Alexander Laska. He also leaves behind his brother Mel Laska and his wife, Rita, and his sister-in-law, Marie Deangelis and her husband, Peter, and his brother-in-law, Richard Fabietti and his wife, Luann, as well as several nephews, nieces and grand-nieces and a grandnephew.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on March 5, 1951, Alan was the son of the late Israel and Basia (Goldfarb) Laska.

After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1973, Alan accepted a position with the Social Security Administration, working in various positions in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Elyane Lee Hale of Venice, Fla., formerly of Norwalk and Philadelphia, passed away Jan. 7 in Tampa General Hospital. She was 83.

Miss Hale was born June 6, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pa. daughter of the late Joseph P. and Mary (Gavin) Hale and has been a resident of Venice for the past seven years. Prior to retiring, she was employed first by AT&T and then prior to retirement as marketing service manager for Emery Air Freight.

She was an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Venice.

While a resident of Norwalk, she graduated from St. Mary’s School and Norwalk High School. Miss Hale also attended Norwalk Community College, Sacred Heart University and the University of Michigan.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Patricia Eva McQuone: worked in Dept. of Human Services. Contributed photoPatricia Eva McQuone of Fairfield, beloved wife of the late Cecil F. McQuone, passed away peacefully Jan. 10 at her home. She was 83.

Mrs. McQuone worked for Dr. Daniel Adler in Westport and also had a second career with the Town of Westport Department of Human Services.

She enjoyed tennis, skiing and gardening. She was also a volunteer for several years at the Easton Senior Center.

Survivors include her son Neal McQuone and his wife Patty of Fairfield, grandchildren “ Her Darlings” Maggie and Myles McQuone, two nieces, Louise Guzman and Elizabeth Sudler.

Rhoda K. Burnham of Weston, a clinical psychologist for 50 years in Westport, died Jan. 7 surrounded by her loved ones. She was 93.Rhoda K. Burnham: 50-year practice in Westport. Contributed photo

She was born Aug. 20, 1917 in New York and grew up in Monticello, N.Y. She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College in 1939. In 1941 she received a Masters from Columbia University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from New York University in 1957.

She was one of the first licensed clinical psychologists in Connecticut. Her first job was at the Joel Barlow High School in Redding. In August 2010, she closed her 50-year practice in Westport, during which time she treated generations of patients.

She served as secretary on the Connecticut Psychological Association and was a member of the Connecticut State Board of Examiners of Psychology

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

James F. Feeney, a lifelong Westporter, 1938 graduate of Staples High School, World War II veteran and former president of Westport’s Joseph J. Clinton, VFW Post 399, died Sunday at the age of 91. Feeney, a frequent guest at former First Selectwoman Diane Farrell’s brown bag lunches, is pictured with his wife Phyllis celebrating his 90th birthday in July 2009 with neighbors from Vani Court. See obituary here. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Elaine Daignault for WestportNow.com

James Francis Feeney of Westport, husband of Phyllis (Goulden) Feeney. passed away Jan. 9 in Norwalk Hospital in the company of his family. He was 91.James F. Feeney: lifelong Westporter. Contributed photo

Mr. Feeney was born July 26, 1919. in Bridgeport, son of the late Francis and Edna (Lynch) Feeney and has been a lifelong resident of Westport.

Prior to retiring, Jim owned and operated P&J Decorating Co., a plastics decorating company located in South Norwalk. He is a member of the 1938 graduating class of Staples High School.

Jim is a veteran of World War II served as a 1st Aerial Observation Pilot flying 102 combat missions in the Eastern Theater of Operation and was awarded the Air Medal with Cluster. He was a member and past president of the Joseph J. Clinton, VFW Post 399.

Mary E. Latimer, a former longtime resident of Westport and wife of the late Byron B. Latimer, died Dec. 25 in the Masonic Heath Center in Wallingford. She was 99.

Born Oct. 6, 1911, in Philadelphia, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Herbert and Amy (Howard) Yearsley. She had lived in Westport for 59 years before moving to Ashlar Village in 2001.

She was a licensed practical nurse who primarily worked private-duty assignments.

She later owned a small shop in Westport and Cape Cod until her retirement. She was a member of the Daughters of the Nile, Order of the Eastern Star, Lafayette Chapter for more than 50 years. She also had been a member of Christ and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Westport.

Monday, January 10, 2011

James F. Wilhelmy of Woodbury, a 1976 graduate of Westport’s Staples High School, died Jan. 8 at Waterbury Hospital. He was 52.

He was the husband of Shirley (Ferry) Wilhelmy.

James was born June 4, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio, son of the late Robert and Rita (Argalli) Wilhelmy. He has resided in Woodbury for the past three years, previously living in Shelton.

He graduated from Staples High School in 1976 and attended Stetson University, Deland, Fla. James graduated from Oglethorpe University in Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in business. He was a self-employed contractor and was a member of the Waterbury Country Club.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Bob Hullet of Boulder, Colo., a former Westporter, passed away Dec. 18. He was 83.Bob Hullet: worked for American Airlines. Contributed photo

Bob was born Jan. 27, 1927, in Avard, Okla., to the late Cleo and Pauline Weems Hullet and grew up on a small farm in with two brothers and two sisters. He will be remembered for his quick smile, intelligence, love of family and friends, and ability to embrace new experiences and challenges.

Growing up in a small community during the Great Depression. Bob’s early experiences and the many examples of integrity, courage, honor and hard work that surrounded him shaped his soul in profound ways.

After serving in the military, Bob attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University, New York University, Purdue University and graduated with honors from Oklahoma State University.

Brenda Bond passed away on Jan.1 at her home in Brewster on Cape Cod in Massachusetts surrounded by her family. Brenda Bond: former Westporter. Contributed photo

Prior to moving permanently to the Cape in 1991, she lived in Westport, Wilton, and Southborough, Mass.

Brenda was born in 1940 in Brockton, Mass. and graduated from Brockton High School and Framingham State.

She is survived by Fred Bond her husband of 49 years, son Keith Bond, grandson Christian Bond of Eastham, mother-in-law, Bernice Bond of Harwich and cousins Tina Tartaglia of Brockton, Richard Kimball of Florida and Jim and Jack Whiting of Arizona.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Vera N. Hahn, age 82, of Westport, beloved wife of the late Harold C. Hahn, Jr. died Jan. 5.

Born in Bronxville, N.Y., the daughter of the late John and Vera Nelson, she was a Westport resident for 42 years. A graduate of Katharine Gibbs, Hahn was a retired executive assistant for Time, Inc.

She was a member of the Junior Women’s League of Westport and a longtime active volunteer at the Pequot Library. She enjoyed solving crossword puzzles and delighted in time spent with her grandchildren.

Survivors include three children, Harold C. Hahn, III of Old Saybrook, Alison H. Morgan and her husband Reed of Easton, N.H. and Amy H. Reilly and her husband Brian of Southbury; a sister, Elaine Carter of Fairfield; six grandchildren, Brian, Eric and Scott Hahn, Emily Morgan and Joseph and Jonathan Reilly; and four nieces and nephews.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Harold Hornstein, a longtime resident of Easton whose long journalism career in Connecticut and elsewhere included stints at the Westport Town Crier and Westport News, died Jan. 1 in Cheshire at the home of his daughter, Deborah Alexander Hereld. He was 90.Harold Hornstein: veteran journalist. Contributed photo

Mr. Hornstein was a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. After graduating from Brooklyn College at the beginning of World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served four years in Europe as a member of an antiaircraft gun crew. After the war he attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism on the GI Bill, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree.

Mr. Hornstein’s first job was as an investigative reporter with the Columbus Georgia Enquirer, where he covered Phoenix City, Ala., known at the time as “Sin City.” Upon returning to the north, he served as news editor of the Westport Town Crier, and as county and assistant city editor of the Bridgeport Post.

He retired after an 18-year career as editorial writer for the New Haven Register, where he also wrote the weekly feature “Our Connecticut.” Mr. Hornstein was the editor of the 1976 book “New Haven Celebrates the Bicentennial,” published by The New Haven Colony Historical Society.

Monday, January 03, 2011

Former longtime Westport resident Jeanne Bachrach Kimball died Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn. where she was living with her daughter and son-in-law, Holly and Barry Tashian. She was 96.Jeanne Bachrach. Kimball: photo taken at age 95. Robert Bachrach photo

Born and raised in West Newton, Mass, the daughter of Dorothy Keyes and Louis Fabian Bachrach, she moved to Westport in 1953 with her husband, the late Fred Kimball, who she had met at a Unitarian church camp when they were 17. He died in 1994.

She majored in music at Radcliffe College, graduating in 1936, and spent the rest of her life as an active musician.

In the mid 1950’s she founded the Westport Madrigal Singers and the choir at the Unitarian Church in Westport. She directed both groups for more than 30 years. She also led the Pitchpipers, a women’s choral group who sing in nursing homes, and she was a gifted singing teacher and vocal coach.

Norton D. Smiley, of Silver Spring, Md., and a former Westport resident, the husband of Harriet Flott Smiley, died Dec. 30 at home.

Born in Fountain Hill, Pa., he was the son of E. Kenneth Smiley and Gertrude (Dunlap) Smiley. He attended Virginia Military Institute and graduated from Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pa. He served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1965, where he attained the rank of specialist.

He retired after many years in the computer industry with IBM, Fujitsu, Informatics, Waldenbooks and Sagemaker. He had been a member of Assumption Church in Westport, serving as a eucharistic minister for many years.